Tabata Interval Madness

So recently I've discovered the beauty (if you consider pain and exhausting workouts beautiful) of Tabata Interval training.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Tabata Intervals, here is a great little summary.

I've designed some Tabata Interval Workouts, and I'm seeing pretty solid results. I was already in pretty good shape from doing two rounds (albeit the second round was broken up a bit by a hectic schedule) of P90X and was looking for a new challenge to spice things up.

Lemme tell ya, Tabata Intervals may not seem like they'd be tough, but given that you're pushing a muscle group as hard as you can for nearly 4 minutes at a time, you get exhausted. When you're training for strength and muscular endurance, this exhaustion is exactly what you're looking for to maximize efficiency in the muscle breakdown/rebuild process (given that you rest the affected muscle groups sufficiently).

This type of workout is extremely efficient because it achieves this exhaustion in a short period of time. It also kills two birds with one stone because your heart rate remains high throughout, giving you cardiovascular benefits as a bonus.

Here are the four workouts I've put together, including two Tabata Core Interval series. I combine each of the four workouts with one of the two core series to create one 70 minute workout of extreme intensity. I only do two of the Tabata workouts per week, so essentially I get two "cycles" per month, and trust me, two per week is all you need. On the off days I do some other cross-training type workout like Plyometrics, Kenpo, and I've taken to running over the past few months.

Remember, each exercise is done for 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, eight times in a row, allowing for a one minute rest in between each exercise. Also, the weights noted on here are the ones I'm currently using, not what YOU should be using. Do what's right for you.

Day 1
Squat Jumps:
Pull Ups:
Standard Push Ups:
Hot Foot:
Full Supination Bicep Curls 25lbs:
Pike Press:
2 Chair Dips:

Day 2:
Mary Katherine Lunges:
Two Arm DB Rows 40lbs:
Fly Pushups:
Weighted 3-way Calf Raises 35lbs:
Hammer Curls 25lbs:
In&Out Shoulder Flys 15lbs:
Side Tri-Rise:

Day 3:
Single Leg Squats:
Chin Ups:
Plange Push Ups:
Hot Foot:
Outward Curls 20lbs:
Shoulder Press 25lbs:
Diamond Pushups:

Day 4:
1-Leg Wall Sits, 10 sec/leg, 25 lbs in each hand:
Congdon Locomotive 30lbs:
Plyometric (clap) Pushup:
Weighted 3-way Calf Raises 35lbs:
Standard Bicep Curl 25 lbs:
Seated Shoulder Flys 20lbs:
Overhead Tricep Ext. 20lbs:


Core Series 1:
Bicycles Forward:
Hanging Knee Kicks:
Weighted Masons:
Bicycles Backward:
Woodchopper 20lbs:
Up and Overs:
Rowers:

Core Series 2:
Crunchy Frog:
Hanging Bicycles Fwd & Bwrd:
Pfifer Scissors:
Reverse Crunches:
Cherry Bombs:
Weighted Banana Mason:
Hanging Plange:


Already, after only one cycle, I've seen an increase in muscletone around my midsection and my lungs feel stronger. As a caution, if any of you want to try these workouts, be prepared to work HARD. They're tough, but if you can get through them, you'll be tough in return.

BRING IT!!!

-RB

Holy shit! It's been WAY too long since I've made a post!

For any of you who actually read (past tense considering I haven't created any new verbage on here in a while) my blog, I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything new since my 90 day P90X finale. Since then, it's been well over another 90 days, and I'm happy to say that I'm still physically in great shape and continue to improve, though much has changed about my fitness goals since my first round of P90X.

First, my perception on time spent working out versus time invested in other things has changed. I recently came across a letter from the editor of Men's Health that changed my perspective on how I view the time allocated to exercise. To summarize, though I encourage you to read the letter, I think his perception on time is spot on.

Most people think time used for physical fitness is time spent. In other words, time is seen as a limited resource that when allocated for fitness yields no profit. I think this is wrong, and now view my exercise time as an investment that will reap great dividends in health, longevity, energy, and discipline. So the next time you think about skipping a workout, don't consider the time spent there as time sacrificed in lieu of other possible activities. Instead, think of your body as an investment banker and your fitness as the stock market. The more time devoted to fitness means more money in your pocket.

This whole time issue is important to me because I work two jobs, each with about an hour of total commuting. This leaves me little spare time - typically only one day per week to myself. I could have hopped on the lazy train and saved workouts for only zero to two times per week. I could have convinced myself that working that much was exercise enough (even though both jobs are rather sedentary). I could have allowed my day's end mental fatigue translate directly into my physical fatigue. But I didn't.

I found solutions like time management and variety. I discovered new eating habits (mostly through P90X) that helped give me the extra energy to work harder. I didn't settle for less when I wanted more, wanted that six-pack, and wanted more self-confidence. So for those of you who think I don't have time to workout or I don't have the energy to exercise, I have to say that if you think this way, then you'll never be fit, and you'll never be as successful as you want to be.

Learn to manage your time (as little as 30-40 minutes 3-4 times per week!) and make your fitness moments really count by working hard. If you do this, you'll see mental and physical results you've only dreamed of.

Another aspect of my life that's changed are my fitness goals. What initially started as a mission to not become a fat-ass turned into a desire, a drive, a passion to compete in something that has become a major part of my life (and kind of has been all along). I found a race called Warrior Dash, and I can't wait to participate in it (and other events like it such as Tough Mudder and Spartan Race).

Y'all might think I'm crazy, but aren't we all? Don't we all have strange, interesting, or just plain silly passions? I want to compete in fitness challenges like these. Notice that I said compete, not participate. I want to win these types of events, and this attitude is going to help me maintain a standard of never settling and always striving for something better.

That's all I have time to write for now, but hopefully I'll be adding posts at least once a week. I'll also be keeping you informed on my training for Warrior Dash and what my workouts are looking like (I've recently gotten into Tabata Interval training, which I'll explain in my next post).

Till then, work hard, play harder.

-RB